Oral cancer has a high mortality rate, making early diagnosis crucial for effective treatment and prognosis. Unlike other cancers, oral cancer develops in the oral cavity, enabling direct contact between saliva and cancer cells. Therefore, saliva is a more useful diagnostic tool than serum or tissue. When DNA, RNA, or proteins produced by cancer cells enter the saliva, they can be easily detected as tumor markers. Therefore, salivary biomarkers can serve as a noninvasive alternative to serum- or tissue-based biomarkers. Early diagnosis is essential for increasing the treatment success rate, improving prognosis, and enhancing post-treatment recovery, ultimately improving the quality of life. Proteins are essential molecules involved in key processes, such as the development, growth, death, and metastasis of oral cancer. Recent advancements in molecular biology and salivary proteomics have enabled the detection and analysis of numerous proteins in saliva. Many of these protein molecules are currently the focus of extensive research. This article aims to review the potential of saliva as a diagnostic tool, techniques for detecting protein biomarkers, and salivary protein biomarkers for oral cancer diagnosis.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease is characterized by a wide spectrum of symptoms, ranging from mild to severe, including fatal outcomes. This study aims to review gustatory and salivary secretion dysfunctions and determine their potential pathogenic mechanisms. Gustatory impairment and salivary dysfunction are prevalent among patients with acute COVID-19 and those recovering from the disease. The mouth serves as a critical entry route for SARS-CoV-2. The cells within the oral epithelium, taste buds, and minor and major salivary glands express key entry factors for SARS-CoV-2, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, transmembrane serine protease 2, and furin. The co-occurrence of gustatory and salivary secretion dysfunctions possibly has pathogenetic association with the following factors: the expression of SARS-CoV-2 cellular entry receptors in the taste buds and salivary glands and SARS-CoV-2–induced zinc deficiency, which is crucial for normal taste perception and saliva secretion. Furthermore, the cytokine storm triggered by COVID-19 contributes to secondary damage affecting gustatory and salivary functions.

Climate change has led to increased insect pests and pest distribution changes. Traditionally, chemical control using synthetic pesticides has been the main method for pest management, but the emergence of pesticide-resistant pests has become a problem. There is a need to develop new pest control agents to overcome these issues. Entomopathogenic fungi used in pest management have minimal environmental side effects and possess a mechanism of action distinct from that of synthetic pesticides. However, there is a need for the development of technologies to maximize the insecticidal effects of fungi against pests, and expressing and releasing dsRNA within the fungi can preemptively knock out the activation of the insect’s defense system, thereby enhancing the insecticidal effect. Controlling insect defense genes and using entomopathogenic fungi as bio-carriers forms a new pest management strategy. This approach, described as a “microbial insecticide agents development strategy of cassette concept, ” can versatilely modify genes and microbes. It is expected to overcome the limitations of synthetic pesticides.

In this study, we examined the antagonistic effects of sprout-borne lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. This antagonism is promoted as a means of controlling contamination during sprout production and provides additional LAB for consumers. We isolated a total of 24 LAB isolates in nine species and five genera from seven popular vegetable sprouts: alfalfa (Medicago sativa), clover (Trifolium pratense), broccoli (Brassica oleracea ssp. italica), vitamin (B. rapa ssp. narinosa), red radish (Raphanus sativus), red kohlrabi (B. oleracea var. gongylodes), and Kimchi cabbage (B. campestris var. pekinensis). Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the LAB species were identified as Enterococcus casseliflavus, E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, Lactococcus taiwanensis, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Weissella cibaria, and W. confusa. A total of 16 LAB isolates in seven species including E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. mundtii, L. taiwanensis, L. mesenteroides, P. pentosaceus, and W. cibaria showed antagonistic activity toward S. enterica. The growth inhibition of sprout LAB on S. enterica was confirmed by co-culture. Unexpectedly, sprout LAB failed to suppress the growth of S. enterica in alfalfa sprouts, whereas all LAB strains stimulate S. enterica growth even if it is not significant in some strains. The findings of this study indicate that S. enterica-antagonistic LAB are detrimental to food hygiene and will contribute to further LAB research and improved vegetable sprout production.

The occurrence level of Metcalfa pruinosa, Halyomorpha halys, and Spodoptera litura was investigated in persimmon tree and bean cultivation fields in 14 cities and counties of the Jeonbuk region in June and July. Metcalfa pruinose was visually inspected, while Halyomorpha halys and Spodoptera litura were investigated by installing pheromone traps and counting the number of captured individuals once, seven days after trap placement. Metcalfa pruinose nymphs occurred in eight cities and counties, which showed an increase compared to the previous year, and Halyomorpha halys nymphs had higher occurrences in the plains, with an average count of 5.5. The average count of Spodoptera litura was 26.7, which was lower than the previous year.

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Western Hemisphere is now annually arrives in Korea. In this study, we developed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, one of the main merits of which is a rapid identification of target species. Five among 11 FAW-specific loci tested successfully provided a consistent reaction when ten FAWs, which were collected from eight localities in four countries were tested, whereas the 13 non-target species were not amplified. To increase in-field applicability of the method all life stages, reaction time, and different periods after death was tested using the quick extracted DNA. Our FAW diagnostic protocol can be completed within 30 min, from the process of extracting genomic DNA from an egg or a 1st instar larva to species determination.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily well-conserved cellular homeostasis program that responds to various cellular stresses and degrades unnecessary or harmful intracellular materials in lysosomes. Accumulating evidence has shown that autophagy dysfunction often results in various human pathophysiological conditions, including metabolic disorders, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases. The discovery of an autophagy machinery protein network has revealed underlying molecular mechanisms of autophagy, and advances in the understanding of its regulatory mechanism have provided novel therapeutic targets for treating human diseases. Recently, reports have emerged on the involvement of autophagy in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Although the role of autophagy in cancer therapy is controversial, the beneficial use of the induction of autophagic cell death in OSCC has drawn significant attention. In this review, the types of autophagy, mechanism of autophagosome biogenesis, and modulating molecules and therapeutic candidates affecting the induction of autophagic cell death in OSCC are briefly described.